Matilda
A feminine name of Germanic origin meaning "mighty battle-maid".
Name Census estimates that about 14,507 living Americans carry the first name Matilda. It sits at #410 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Matilda today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Matilda births was 2024 (769 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Matilda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
15K
~ 1 in 23,627 Americans
Peak year
2024
769 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
1922 SSA rank
#410
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Matilda
Out of the 36,438 babies given the name Matilda since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Matilda as a male name
- Ranked #4,725 in 1922
- 5 male births in 1922
- Peak: 1885 (5 births)
Matilda as a female name
- Ranked #410 in 2024
- 769 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (769 births)
Popularity
Matilda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Matilda from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 5,293 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Matilda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Matilda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Matilda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Matildas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 48 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Matilda, while Montana, Alaska, New Hampshire recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 477 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Matilda
The name Matilda has its origins in the Germanic languages, deriving from the Old High German name Mahthilda. It is a compound name formed from the elements "maht" meaning "might" or "strength", and "hild" meaning "battle". This combination results in the meaning of "mighty in battle" or "strong fighter".
The name gained widespread popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in Germanic and Scandinavian regions. It was introduced to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066, as it was borne by Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Matilda can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears several times in this historical document.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Matilda. One of the most famous was Matilda of Tuscany (1046-1115), a powerful feudal leader and supporter of the Papacy during the Investiture Controversy. Another prominent figure was Matilda of Boulogne (1105-1152), Queen of England as the wife of King Stephen.
In the 12th century, Matilda of England (1102-1167), daughter of King Henry I, was a claimant to the English throne during the Anarchy, a civil war between her and Stephen of Blois. Her struggle for power was an important event in English history.
During the Renaissance, Matilda of Canossa (1046-1115) was a highly influential countess who played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy, supporting Pope Gregory VII against the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV.
In more recent history, Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898) was a prominent American suffragist, abolitionist, and a pioneering figure in the women's rights movement in the United States.
People
Matilda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Matilda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Matilda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Matilda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14,507 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Matilda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 23,627 US residents.
Is Matilda a common name?
We classify Matilda as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 36,438 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Matilda most popular?
The single biggest year for Matilda was 2024, when 769 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Matilda is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Matilda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Matilda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.